Car structure



Dec. 8, 1936. w. M. SHEEHAN CAR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 25, 1932 3Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 8, W. SHEEHAN CAR S TRUCTURE Filed Feb. 23, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 8, 1936. w. M. SHEEHAN 2,063,056

CAR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 23, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 //36 /a0 2 /JZ 33 5 fPatented Dec. 8,1936

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR STRUCTURE Application February 23, 1932,Serial No. 594,687

12 Claims.

This invention relates to dumping vehicles and consists in a novelunderframe and body construction particularly for mine quarry and othercars for similar service. Reference is here made to companionapplication Serial No. 616,673, filed June 11, 1932, and illustratingsome of the features described and claimed herein.

The main object of the invention is to provide a vehicle of the abovetype having the maximum capacity and also having sufficient strength anddurability to resist the hard usage to which such vehicles aresubjected.

Another object is to shape the floor of the vehicle in a manner tofacilitate dumping where thefloor must be recessed to accommodatevarious equipment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a seamless floorshaped to eliminate joints,

crevices and substantially square corners where chemical agents couldrepose and cause corrosive deterioration.

An additional object is to provide integral longitudinal strengtheningmembers in the underframe that will permit quick, unobstructed dischargeof the contents of the car and also possess maximum lateral and verticalbeam value and be effective self-reinforced columns.

These objects and others are attained by the structures illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a half top view of anunderframe embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is in part a side elevation and in part a vertical longitudinalsection on the center line of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an end view ofone-half of the car. Figures 4 and 5 are vertical transverse sectionstaken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 1. Figure 6corresponds to Figure 1 but illustrates a modification. Figure 7 is alongitudinally vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.Figures 8 and 9 are vertical transverse sections taken on thecorresponding section lines of Figure 6. Figure 10 is an end view of thecar.

In Figures 1 to 5, the invention is illustrated as embodied in aone-piece, preferably cast, underframe and body structure having afloorforming seamless web I00 including side and end walls IN and I02,respectively, having a continuous reinforcing rib I03 extending aroundthe upper edges thereof.

This car is particularly adapted for use in connection with rotarydumping machines where the structure should be rigid from end to end andfrom side to side to withstand stresses applied during the rotation ofthe dumping machine as well as those encountered during loading andtransportation involving the dropping of heavy weights into the car andthe transmission of draft and bufllng forces.

- Extending from end wall to end wall is a corrugation or recess I06formed in the main web I00 with opposite sides extending upwardly fromthe fiat center and side portions of the web. This corrugation iswidened and deepened adjacent the car wheels I48, as indicated at I01.Transverse corrugations I08 extend between corrugations I01 on oppositesides of the car but terminate short of the latter, the end portions ofmatter of my copending application Serial No.

602,925, filed April 4, 1932.

The housing forming elements also constitute an end sill fortransmitting the draft and buffing forces to corrugations I06, the endsof which are inclined upwardly to substantially align with the uppermember I25. The lower member I26 is aligned with the body of web I00.

Figures 6 to 10 illustrate a car having the major portion of its floorat a lower level than the axles. The floor forming seamless web I30 hastwo corrugations I3I forming longitudinal beams and these corrugationsare provided with relatively short upwardly extending recesses I32 andI33 for receiving respectively the car wheels and the stub axlestherefor. One side of each recess I33 slopes gradually towards web I30,as indicated at I34, to provide space for the insertion of an axleretaining bolt through the holes I35 in the axle engaging ribs I36. Theopposite wall of recess I33 is more nearly vertical but is spaced farenough from ribs I36 to permit the insertion of a nut for said bolt.

At the ends of the car, web I30 curves and inclines upwardly, asindicated at I46, merging with the end sill or end Wall I31 at a. pointspaced above the lower edge thereof.

of substantial depth vertically and horizontally for effectivelytransferring the bufiing and draft forces from the central portion ofthe car to the longitudinal corrugations I3I and to the sides of carI39. A reinforcing flange I38 on the bottom of sill I31 gives the beam atriangular conformation. The wall of longitudinal corrugation I3Iarcuately merges with the inclined portion I46 of the bottom web.

One end of the car (Figure 6) has been shown with the corners bevelledto provide clearance between adjacent cars on curved track, while theother end of the car has been shown as hav- This arrangement forms anangular transverse beam ing a substantially right angled corner. It willbe understood that both ends of the car may be the same and that theother features described may be utilized irrespective of the cornerconstruction.

It will be seen that in one form of the invention a substantial portionof the vehicle floor is located beneath the level of the tops of thewheels and ofv the draft housing. However, the offsets -thereby formedin the floor to accommodate these parts are prevented from obstructingthe ready dumping of lading material by the gradual sloping of the facesof such offsets in the direction opposite the open end of the body, andmaximum capacity is assured by the sharp inclination of the surfaces ofsuch offsets facing the dumping door and free expulsion of the lading ishastened by the arcuate formation of the corners of the floor web.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a car which is intended tobe rolled onto a tiltable or rotary platform in dumping, but theessential features thereof might be readily embodied in vehiclesintended for other use and, accordingly, various details of thestructures shown may be modified to most advantageously accommodate thetype of service for which the vehicle is intended. The exclusive use ofall such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claimsis contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a car underframe, an end sill, a floor- 3. In a car of the classdescribed, wheels and stub axles, a floor-forming seamless web includinga main body portion extending substantially throughout the length of thecar at a lower level than said axles, there being a longitudinalcorrugation in said web substantially throughout the length of the carforming a longitudinal beam, said corrugation and adjacent portions ofsaid web having upwardly extending recesses for receiving said wheelsand axles.

4. In a car of the class described, an upright end sill web, afloor-forming seamless web constituting the car underframe and extendingsubstantially throughout the length of the car with its end portioninclined upwardly and merging with said sill web at points spaced abovethe bottom of the latter and including upright elements at the sides ofthe car for better resisting longitudinal forces, said sill and theadjacent portion of said floor web'cooperating to form an angulartransverse beam of substantial vertical and horizontal depth fortransferring bufling and draft forces from the central portion of thecar to said side elements.

5. A structure as specified in claim 4 in which upwardly extendinglongitudinal corrugations are formed in said web spaced from the centerline of the car with the walls of said corrugations merging with saidinclined portions of said web.

6. A structure as specified in claim 4 characterized by the presence ofan inwardly extending flange on the lower portion of said end sillcooperating -with the body of said sill and with said inclined portionof said web to provide said end beam with a triangular conformation.

7. In a car of the class described, an end sill, a floor having anupwardly recessed wheel-recelving portion of restricted length andspaced from said end sill and also having an inverted U-shaped partforming a longitudinal reinforcing element extending from said wheelreceiving portion to said end sill.

8. In a railway car, wheels, a web forming the car floor and underframeand extending substantially from side to side of the car and havingupwardly concaved recesses extending substantially throughout the lengthof the car to reinforce said web in transmitting longitudinal forces,portions of said recesses being constructed and arranged to receive theupper parts of said wheels.

9. In a railway car, a floor forming web extending throughout the widthof the car and including substantially continuous corrugationsintermediate its sides adapted to receive the upper portions of carweels and extending substantially from end to end of the car tosubstantially reinforce said web in resisting draft and buffing forces.

10. In a car of the class described, an axle and wheels, a floor formingseamless web including a main body portion located at a lower level thansaid axle,'said web being recessed upwardly to receive said axle, thesides of the axle receiving recess being inclined from the vertical, andan axle engaging element depending from the upper portion of the axlereceiving recess, a wall of the recess at one side of said element beingoffset transversely of the axle to provide for the insertion of an axleretaining bolt horizontally through said element.

11. In a car of the class described, an upright end sill web, draftelements thereon, a floor-forming seamless web constituting the carunderframe and extending substantially throughout the length of the, carwith an end portion inclined upward and merging with said sill web abovethe bottom of the latter, and including upright elements at the sides ofthe car for better resisting longitudinal forces, and elementscooperating with said sill web and the inclined portion of said floorweb to form an angular transverse beam of substantial vertical andhorizontal depth for transferring longitudinal forces from said draftelements to said side elements.

12. In a vehicle of the class described, a floor web having an upwardlyrecessed portion forming a wheel receiving housing, an end sillextending upwardly from said floor and spaced from said recess, and alongitudinally extending inverted U-like corrugation in said floorbetween said end sill and said recess, said corrugation being narrowerthan said'recess, and at least one side of said corrugation beinginclined from the vertical to facilitate the discharge of lading whenthe vehicle is dumped.

WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN.

